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### Viewing cable 06THEHAGUE1001, ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN THE NETHERLANDS

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06THEHAGUE1001 | 2006-05-04 15:03 | 2011-01-20 21:09 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy The Hague

`

    VZCZCXRO6698
    RR RUEHAT
    DE RUEHTC #1001/01 1241511
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    R 041511Z MAY 06
    FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5621
    INFO RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM 0781
    EU POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 001001

    SIPDIS

    C O R R E C T E D C O P Y ( ADDED ADRESSEE)

    EU POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

    SENSITIVE

    SIPDIS

    STATE FOR EUR/UBI, EUR/PGI

    E.O.12958: N/A
    TAGS: PREL PTER KISL PGOV PINR SOCI SCUL KPAO NL
    SUBJECT: ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN THE NETHERLANDS
    THE HAGUE 00001001 001.2 OF 002
    SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY.

    REF: THE HAGUE 00149

    ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: There are a growing number of Islamic
    schools in The Netherlands, but they are hardly madrassas.
    All are state funded, follow the national Dutch curriculum,
    teach in Dutch, and have largely Dutch personnel. Although
    the number of Islamic schools is small - 47 in the whole
    country - they have become one focus of the ongoing
    political debate over integration in the Netherlands. END
    SUMMARY.

    NUMBER OF ISLAMIC SCHOOLS SMALL BUT GROWING
    -------------------------------------------

    ¶2. (U) The number of Islamic schools in The Netherlands
    has slowly grown over the last few years, reaching 45
    primary and two secondary schools in the 2005-2006 school
    year. More schools plan to open next year, including a
    third secondary school in The Hague. Muslims we have spoken
    to say many Muslim parents prefer a more conservative
    environment than public schools offer - some even send their
    children to Christian schools when Islamic schools are not
    available. Some students also say the Islamic schools offer
    a refuge from prejudice at some public schools. One female
    student at an Islamic secondary school in Rotterdam told us,
    for example, that she had been harassed in a public school
    for wearing a headscarf. She told us she felt more
    comfortable in the Islamic school.

    ¶3. (U) Since 1917, the Dutch Constitution has provided for
    government funding of religious schools. The GONL thus
    fully funds Islamic schools and inspects them on a regular
    basis. As all students in Islamic schools are required to
    pass national exams, these schools follow the same
    curriculum and use the same textbooks as their non-religious
    school counterparts, although regulations allow for nonnational
    curriculum courses, including classes on Islamic
    and Koranic studies, Arabic, and world religion.

    MAJORITY OF MUSLIM STUDENTS NOT IN ISLAMIC SCHOOLS
    --------------------------------------------- -----

    ¶4. (U) According to Said Benayad, former Chairman of the
    umbrella organization for Islamic schools (ISBO) and a
    current board member of INHOLLAND University, the 45 Islamic
    primary schools in the Netherlands represent about 0.6
    percent of the total number of primary schools in the
    country. Only 4 percent of all ethnic students attend
    Islamic schools. Some 85 percent of teachers at these
    schools are non-Muslim, while 75 percent of the principals
    are non-Muslim. All Islamic schools in the Netherlands are
    co-educational, although at least one Amsterdam school
    separates boys and girls in the classroom. As a comparison,
    Benayad noted that 70 percent of ethnic Muslim students in
    The Hague attend public schools, 15 percent attend Christian
    schools, and 15 percent attend Islamic or other schools.

    FUTURE OF ISLAMIC SCHOOLS DEBATED
    ---------------------------------

    ¶5. (SBU) Given the national debate on integration, the
    future of Islamic schools has become a focus of political
    and parliamentary discussion, with some questioning whether
    Islamic schools should continue to qualify for government
    funding. For those who oppose government funding of Islamic
    schools, the issue is how to end such funding without also
    ending state support of Christian schools.

    ¶6. (SBU) Another question raised in the debate is whether
    the existence of Islamic schools encourages separation of
    ethnic Muslim from native Dutch children. In a recent
    meeting with Emboffs, Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen asserted
    that Islamic schools are a positive development. He said
    such schools generally follow Dutch curriculum, maintain
    high standards, and participate fully in the educational
    system. He did acknowledge, however, that Amsterdam City
    officials probably need to pay closer attention to the
    operations and affiliations of a small number of Islamic
    schools associated with mosques with more radical messages.

    ¶7. (SBU) Some right-wing critics, such as parliamentarians
    Geert Wilders and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, argue that Islamic
    schools do not foster integration in Dutch society. They
    claim that a policy of maintaining separate, segregated
    schools hinders interaction between Muslim and non-Muslim
    THE HAGUE 00001001 002.2 OF 002
    Dutch students. Moreover, they assert that in some Islamic
    schools, students are being indoctrinated into non-Western
    modes of thinking, which makes them prime recruiting targets
    for violent extremists.

    ¶8. (U) Anne-Bert Dijkstra, Dutch Education Inspectorate,
    recently told Emboff that regular monitoring had not found
    any Islamic schools to be teaching anti-Western ideas. In a
    2003 review of Islamic schools, the Inspectorate did note
    concern that several schools were too passive in promoting
    social values. This has resulted in the implementation this
    year of expanded legislation requiring all schools to
    actively promote integration and good citizenship programs.
    Schools' efforts to promote social cohesion are now part of
    the Inspectorate's regular monitoring.

    ¶9. (U) In a separate exchange with Emboffs, Islamic school
    principals noted how some ethnic Muslim staff and principals
    were still adjusting to a life in the Netherlands, while
    simultaneously attempting to teach the same to their
    students. Alderman Fatima Elatik has also noted that
    primary schools in her district of Amsterdam have parent
    rooms where non-Dutch speaking parents can attend Dutch
    language classes, meet other parents, and learn how to
    become more involved in their children's education.

    SEGREGATION PART OF PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM?
    -----------------------------------------

    ¶10. (U) With only 4 percent of ethnic Muslim students
    attending Islamic schools, it is difficult to argue that
    these schools are the significant cause of segregation in
    the Netherlands. However, many experts do view the 550
    black schools in the country (which the Dutch define as
    having over 50 percent minority enrollment, mostly as the
    result of segregated neighborhoods) as contributing to defacto
    segregation. Such schools are mostly located in
    larger cities and represent about six percent of all schools
    in the country.

    CONTINUING EMBASSY OUTREACH
    ---------------------------

    ¶11. (SBU) Building on contacts made at a recent luncheon,
    Emboffs recently visited Rotterdam's Ibn Ghaldoun, the
    largest Muslim high school in the Netherlands. The visit
    included discussions with school administrators on how to
    build a long-lasting relationship between the Embassy and
    the school, whose growing student population has resulted in
    plans to open a new high school in The Hague. Emboffs also
    shared with students and faculty donated maps, books on
    American history and literature, and a CD-ROM for use in the
    school library.

    ¶12. (SBU) School administrators noted with approval that
    the U.S. Embassy was the first foreign embassy in the
    country to visit the school. Students asked pointed
    questions about anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S., but were
    clearly happy with the opportunity to speak with U.S.
    representatives. One student questioned whether Emboffs had
    been afraid to visit the school given widespread anti-U.S.
    sentiment -- a clear sign that additional outreach is
    needed. As a follow-on, Ibn Ghaldoun students visited the
    Embassy in April. Ibn Ghaldoun's English department is also
    developing a proposal for follow-up activities with the
    Embassy.

    ¶13. (SBU) Emboffs have also visited the Islamic University
    of Rotterdam (IUR), one of two privately-funded Islamic
    universities in the country that focus on religious training
    of imams and counselors. Additional visits are planned.
    BLAKEMAN

`